Airplane



March 20, 1928.

' 1,662,915 v. J. BURNELL] AIRPLANE I M Filed May '7'. 1927 2 Shets-Sheet 1 i D INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 20, 1928.

1,662,915 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VINCENT J. BURNELLI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AIRPLANE.

Application filed May 7, 1927. Serial No. 189,527.

lage, wherein a pocket is provided for the reception of the wheel to lie horizontally embedded therein. Since the opposite wheels are movable inwardly and upwardly to both find lodgment in the same horizontal plane in embedded relation at the bottom of the fuselage, obviously the fuselage must have such width as is provided only by the broad, aerofoil contouredfuselage of the Remington-Burnelli type of airplane.

s means of effecting retraction and return to normal position of the wheels there extends an angled bracket from the inner hub of each wheel, each bracket having a gear mounted at its free end in engagement with an arcuate rack that is extended through the fuselage, a motor geared to said pinion serving to rotate the latter and thereby' cause it to travel along the rack, to both draw the wheel into its retracted position and to return it to its pendent operative position.

vention will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of an airplane'having a fuselage of aerofoil contour equipped with my improved retractible chassis.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, only the forward portion of the airplane appearing in this view.

' Fig. 3 is a partial top plan view of the Same;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged partial front view in section showing one of the retractible wheels with its supporting and operating gear, the wheel being in normal'position.

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the wheel and gear retracted and housed, and

.at their upper ends are cured to the fuselage sides.

. or pockets'10, said rack Other features and advantages of my infrom their retracted a gear 18-which Fig. 6 is a detail of the motor and gear train.

In the views let 1 indicate a fuselage of aerofoil contour, having the nose portion 2, in which the engines 3, 3 are housed and disposed one at each side within said nose portion, the engine shafts projecting forwardly and respectively carrying the propellers 4, 1 that operate in the same vertical plane.

The wheels 5, 5 of my improved retractible chassis are, as will be observed, spaced apart the full width of the fuselage so as to afford a broad gauge trackway. Said wheels are connected'to the sides of the fuselage respectively by hangers 6, 6

that respectively engage the outer hubs 7,

7 of the wheels, and hinged, as at 8, 8 to or fittings 9, 9 se- The hangers 6, 6 by reason of the hinged connection are adapted to retract into a horizontal position against the bottom surface of the fuselage, and said fuselage is provided with recesses 01' pockets 10, 10 each suited in its area and depth for the reception and housing of one of the wheels 5.

The wheels 5, 5 also are each provided with a bracket or inclined arm 11 that is rigidly connected to the inner hub 12 extends to the bottom of the fuselage when the wheel is in service. The upper or free end of each bracket or arm 11 is provided with a pivotal gear 13 that engages in an arcuate rack 14 which is secured within the fuselage and extends over one of the recesses serving as a guide for the gear 13 and arm 11 in the retraction of a wheel'into its pocket 10, and in the outward movement of the wheel back to its service position. p

As means for moving the wheels to and positions I provide motors 15 which are respectively carried by mounts 16 secured upon the free ends of the arms 11.

In'the example of Fig. 6 a motor 15 is shown as having a rotor shaft 17 carrying drives the gear 13 through idler 19. The source of for operating the motor is laterally abutting lugs an intermediary electrical energy not shown, ing available on the airplane.

The arcuate racks 14, 14 are necessarily divergent in their relative arrangement beand 4 but will be understood as be cause the wheels in their retractile operation Y swing toward each other and inconsequence the arms 11, 11, in the same action, have to swing outwardl these operations obvious ly being reverse when the wheels are .swung into their service positions.

For sturdiness of support, additional hangers 20, 20, hinged to the fuselage at 21, 21, extend angularly-between the wheel outer hubs 7, 7 and a rearward portion of the fuselage.

Variations within the spirit and scope of my inventioh are equally comprehended by the foregoing disclosure.

I claim:

1. The combination with an airplane having a fuselage of a chassis therefor comprising wheels dis osed at opposite sides beneath said fuse @e, pendent hangers hinged one at each side of the fuselage and having. rigid connection with said wheels, at their outer hubs, inclined arms having rigid connection with the inner hubs of the wheels respectively, said arms convergin toward the fusela e bottom, gears carrie b said arms at t eir free ends, arcuate rac engaging said gears and extended divergingly upward through said fuselage and means for movin sai g legs and having rigid connect-ion with said wheel's at their outer hubs, inclined arms having rigid connection with the inner hubsof the wheels respectively, said arms convergin toward the fuselage bot-tom, gears carrie by said arms at their free ends, arcuate racks engaging said gears and extended divergin'gly upward through said fuselage, and means for moving said gears along said racks to retract said chassis and thereby move said wheels respectively into said recesses in the fuselage bottom.

New York, March 6th, 1927.

' VINCENT J. BURNELLI.

racks to re-v 

